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The Rude Hand of Innovation
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The Rude Hand of Innovation Religion and Social Order in Albany, New York 1652-1836
DAVID G. HACKETT
New York Oxford OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
1991
Oxford University Press Oxford New York Toronto Delhi Bombay Calcutta Madras Karachi Petaling Jaya Singapore Hong Kong Tokyo Nairobi Dar es Salaam Cape Town Melbourne Auckland and associated companies in Berlin Ibadan
Copyright © 1991 by David G. Hackett Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 200 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hackett, David G. The rude hand of innovation : religion and social order in Albany, New York, 1652-1836 / David G. Hackett. p. cm. — (Religion in America series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-19-506513-1 1. Albany (N.Y.)—Social conditions. 2. Albany (N.Y.)—Religion. 3. Social change. 4. Albany (N.Y.)—Ethnic relations. 5. New York (State)—History—Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775. 6. New York (State)—History—1775-1865. I. Title. II. Series: Religion in America series (Oxford University Press) HN8O.A33H33 1991 3O6'.09747'43—dc2O 90-42496
987654321 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
For my mother and father Caroline and Roger Hackett
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Acknowledgments
This inquiry began nine years ago with the question, "What is the relationship between religion and social order?" I found my first answers in the sociology of religion through the theoretical writings of Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, and their contemporary followers. As I became familiar with concepts such as "modernization," "secularization," and "civil religion," however, I questioned their empirical validity. Needing to ground theory in data, I turned to American religious history. Here I learned of America's Puritan origins, eminent theologians, and the myriad influences of religion on the shape and substance of American culture. Intellectual history, though, limited my historical understanding to the thought of leading clergymen and denominations, while telling me little about the religious experience of church members and even less about the "unchurched." Next I read my way into social history. Studies of geographic mobility, the family, racial and ethnic groups, and the human adjustments to industrialization held my interest. But I found that few social historians paid attention to the role of religion in social life. Each of these disciplines advanced my understanding, yet left unanswered my original question. And so I began my research into the religious and social history of one of America's oldest colonial settlements with a puzzle and for seven years I tried to solve it. I am delighted to have the opportunity to thank those people who helped